Sleeping Curse Immunizations
by Bailey Belle
Summary: The crumpled and folded flier read: "Dear Storybrooke parent, We have recently discovered a cure for the common sleeping curse, and we urge you to immunize your children. An informational session will be held in the Storybrooke school gymnasium at 6:30pm on Friday, September 10. Sincerely, Your Teacher's Union representative and Mayor, Mary Margret Blanchard"


School was starting in Storybrooke, and many parents were concerned about a new district policy urging parents to immunize their children. During the first parent-teacher conference of the year, Mary Margret and Regina addressed the worried looking crowd.

"A sleeping curse can easily be broken by True Love's kiss," Mary Margret stated, raising her voice over the low-level muttering. "Once the curse is broken, your children will be immune to it forever. Regina has been kind enough to create enough sleeping curses for all the children in our school." Regina nodded, and held up a glowing purple vial.

"Colin is eight," one mother piped up. "Don't you think that's a little young for a girlfriend?"

Mary Margret shook her head. "True Love isn't necessarily romantic love." She gestured to Emma, standing off to the side with Henry. "True Love can also take the form of a loving parent. Emma has broken a sleeping curse with her true love for her son Henry."

The parent eyed Emma skeptically. "Well, sure, __she__ broke it. She's the Savior."

"Regina also broke Henry's memory curse Henry. Although we know that people who have been under a memory curse before are not immune to a new curse," Mary Margret was quick to add. "So we're just focusing on sleeping curses today. With your help, we can ensure as many people in Storybrooke are immune to the sleeping curse. Now I'll open the floor to questions."

Questions were fired and answered in rapid succession.

"How long will my child be asleep?"

"About a minute, in order to confirm the curse has taken hold."

"Should we be worried about after-effects of the curse?"

"Despite what your child might claim, there will be no additional drowsiness after the curse. We do know there will be nightmares, frequently for a month after the curse, but becoming less frequent as time goes on. We feel the risk is worth the safety of our children against villains who use the very common sleeping curse."

"My husband claims he loves our child more. I disagree. Can we kiss him at the same time to avoid breaking up our marriage?"

"A double dose of True Love can't hurt!"

One by one, the parents who agreed laid their children down on cots and held their tiny hands as they were pricked by Regina's needle. When they awoke, they soothed their children's cries and wiped away their tears, reassuring them it was for the best.

Emma approached a young boy, no more than six, who was nervously plucking at a frayed string on the cot. His mother stood next to him, engrossed in her cell phone. "You've signed the release form, right?"

"Yep," the mother replied, not taking her eyes off the screen.

Emma looked down at the boy's eyes and saw fear there. His gaze shifted to his mother, and the mistrust in his eyes grew. Emma felt a twinge of uneasiness. She recognized that look. It was the same feeling, the same look, she had given every one of her foster parents.

Emma tried again. "And you read section 2? You know that only a True Love's kiss can break the curse, and you assert you can provide that love?"

"Yep, I read section 2."

Emma frowned. Her super power told her the response was truthful, but it wasn't the whole story. She sighed. "Okay. Hey, kid, lie down and put your hand out."

The boy hesitated, his eyes pleading with Emma's. "Oh, go on, Charles," the mother snapped. "Lie down. Now."

Something was wrong here. But the signed release form mean that both parties had to hold up their end of the deal. Emma tucked a heavy blanket around the boy, leaving one arm exposed. "This will only sting for a second."

The boy looked nervous, then took a deep breath. "It's ok. She'll come for me." Emma pressed the needle into his palm and watched as his eyes closed and his face fell slack. She looked at her watch to note the time, and then made the mistake of looking at the mother's face.

She was smirking at her son, her eyes devoid of any emotion. The expression only lasted a half second before she caught Emma looking and schooled her face into a properly concerned expression. Emma anxiously looked at her watch, glancing between the mother and son. __This was a bad idea. I knew it was a bad idea. Damn it, why didn't I listen to my gut?__

A minute later, the mother bent over and placed the briefest of pecks on the boy's cheek. Nothing. "No, no," she cried dramatically, and frantically kissed his forehead, cheeks, hand.

Emma was having none of this charade. She had seen that look, and now her suspicions were confirmed.

"You lied to me! You said you could provide True Love's kiss, but you knew you didn't love your son."

"No, no, I know I love him..." she whimpered. "We've just- just been fighting lately and I can't stop thinking about the hateful things he said. Maybe... If I could just have a day to calm down, I can conjure up enough love to break the curse."

 _ _Lie.__ Emma's yelling soon attracted a crowd of distraught parents.

"Let me through! Let her through!"

Emma looked up through frustrated tears to see a familiar top hat over the crowd. Jefferson pushed his way through the crowd, Grace perched on his shoulders. She ran up to the cot and threw her arms around the boy. "Charlie, come on Charlie, wake up you git!" Grace somehow managed to both shake and kiss Charlie at the same time.

An audience of watching parents collectively exhaled as Charlie gasped and flailed, trying to sit up. Mary Margret finished up her conversation with Charlie's homeroom teacher, and came over to whisper in Jefferson's ear.

Emma had seen enough. The mother cried out as handcuffs clicked into place. "You're under arrest for child neglect. You wanted your son to sleep forever, and I'm sure there are other signs. You'll cool down in a jail cell while I alert child protective services." Emma smiled. "Archie would love to have a chat with your boy."

Jefferson stepped away from Mary Margret and knelt down in front of Grace, who was fiercely gripping the boy. "In the mean time, Charlie can stay with us." Jefferson smiled at Charlie. "Assuming you're up for another sleepover?"

Charlie grinned from ear to ear. "I'm gonna make a wizard's hat this time!" Then he grew quiet and turned to Grace. "Thank you," he said, his face far too serious for a boy of six. "I knew you wouldn't let me down."

Grace smiled and hugged him again. "What are true friends for?"


End file.
